Ancient Egyptian cuisine was the food culture of the civilization along the Nile, shaped by the region's agriculture, religious beliefs, and the Nile flood cycle over several thousand years.
Staple crops were wheat, barley, and emmer, ground into flour for bread and porridge, and also brewed into beer. Onions, leeks, lettuce, and radishes were common vegetables; dates, grapes, and figs were the main fruits. Fish from the Nile was an everyday protein; cattle, sheep, goats, and poultry supplied meat. Cows held special religious status and were generally not eaten, though bulls were, especially among the wealthy; pork appears to have been eaten by ordinary Egyptians but was avoided by priests and the elite.
Cooking relied on boiling, roasting, and baking with simple tools: knives, mortars and pestles, and pottery for storage. Egyptians also preserved food by drying, salting, and pickling. A simple domed loaf known as "ta" was a dietary staple, typically served alongside stews, meats, and vegetables.
Wealthier households had access to imported spices, honey, and wine, along with more elaborate dishes such as roasted waterfowl. Many staples of the ancient diet - bread, beer, and Nile fish - remain central to Egyptian and wider Middle Eastern cooking today.